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vicodin withdrawal
by dochollywood, Nov 06, 2009 10:02AM
This is a very helpful forum but most of the posts I'm reading are a few years old. I wanted to share my experience about vicodin. I started taking them about 5 years ago and since I knew well the effects of too much tylenol, I quickly started using 10/500 or 10/325 tablets. At my worst, I took 8-10 per day of these pills. In the beginning, it was for euphoria. 20 minutes after taking a pill, I got a woosh and could stand up after work and work for 4 hours more at home. I remember I was trying to sell my house at the time, so I could clean and paint and repair after working a long day. At first, I only took them in the eveing, then started in the early after noon and at some point, when I must have experienced my first withdrawal symptoms, I started taking 1-2 when I woke up. I cannot believe how quickly I was addicted, because I tried not to take them daily for fear of addiction.
I have wanted to be off these pills for at least a couple of years now and couldn't do it, because I would be to sick to go to work. The first time I tried to quit, it wasn't that bad. I called in sick 2 days and by day 3 I felt back to normal. It was so easy that I went and got another prescription that night and told myself I wouldn't take too many this time, just once in a while. That never works.
I have felt so guilty about taking these damn pills and I felt so weak that I couldn't control my use. But I think I now understand that these pills are different than say Tylenol #3 or Darvocet. It's the euphoria that causes the addiction and that's why the vicodin is the drug of choice for so many.
Anyway, I tried to taper down and in many ways I was successful, but not very quick. I went from 9 a day or even 10 down to 5 or 6 tabs per day and wanted to taper myself off, but it's really hard when you get to the lower doses. I thought I could do it, but I don't think one can if one is an addict.
So I asked for 1 week off from work, and I am a professional, so that takes time. It took me 3 months to get that week off. We set our schedules months in advance. My boyfriend was staying with me and I had to get rid of him (well he has his own home to go to and it's nice) for the week so that I could do this. Sunday was his last day here and so that was the last day I took a pill because I didn't want him to know what was going on. I was SOOO scared, so nervous, wondering if I could do it. I had tried so many times. My boyfriend was angry at me for making him go home, but I knew what I had to do, and maybe some day he will understand.
Anyway, today is Friday and lord knows how I did it but I feel a hell of a lot better. I used a lot of motrin 800 mg tablets for body aches. I used some Zyrtec for the sneezing. I use a little loperamide for the loose stools. I drank a lot of fluids and took a good vitamin. And I took ambien at night to sleep, though I woke up every hour still.
Somehow, when one reads the long lists of withdrawal symptoms (fatigue, goose flesh, diarrhea, nausea, sneezing, body aches, skin crawling, etc, etc, etc) IT DOES NOT FULLY CAPTURE THE SHEER HELL OF IT!
I haven't been getting high off those pills for about a year because I cut the dose down for the past year, so essentially I was just keeping withdrawal at bay (though withdrawal seems to come at odd times if you ask me). That is one thing that helps a little. I can't really remember the last time I got high from the pills and so I don't miss that too much. I notice that I thought I was getting arthritis really bad because every morning I was so stiff and now I notice this is gone after just a few days. Could be the motrin, but somehow I think it's more than that. My body feels younger.
Anyway, just wanted to share. These posts are great to read and I've been reading them all week and I learned a lot about addiction and its power.
I have wanted to be off these pills for at least a couple of years now and couldn't do it, because I would be to sick to go to work. The first time I tried to quit, it wasn't that bad. I called in sick 2 days and by day 3 I felt back to normal. It was so easy that I went and got another prescription that night and told myself I wouldn't take too many this time, just once in a while. That never works.
I have felt so guilty about taking these damn pills and I felt so weak that I couldn't control my use. But I think I now understand that these pills are different than say Tylenol #3 or Darvocet. It's the euphoria that causes the addiction and that's why the vicodin is the drug of choice for so many.
Anyway, I tried to taper down and in many ways I was successful, but not very quick. I went from 9 a day or even 10 down to 5 or 6 tabs per day and wanted to taper myself off, but it's really hard when you get to the lower doses. I thought I could do it, but I don't think one can if one is an addict.
So I asked for 1 week off from work, and I am a professional, so that takes time. It took me 3 months to get that week off. We set our schedules months in advance. My boyfriend was staying with me and I had to get rid of him (well he has his own home to go to and it's nice) for the week so that I could do this. Sunday was his last day here and so that was the last day I took a pill because I didn't want him to know what was going on. I was SOOO scared, so nervous, wondering if I could do it. I had tried so many times. My boyfriend was angry at me for making him go home, but I knew what I had to do, and maybe some day he will understand.
Anyway, today is Friday and lord knows how I did it but I feel a hell of a lot better. I used a lot of motrin 800 mg tablets for body aches. I used some Zyrtec for the sneezing. I use a little loperamide for the loose stools. I drank a lot of fluids and took a good vitamin. And I took ambien at night to sleep, though I woke up every hour still.
Somehow, when one reads the long lists of withdrawal symptoms (fatigue, goose flesh, diarrhea, nausea, sneezing, body aches, skin crawling, etc, etc, etc) IT DOES NOT FULLY CAPTURE THE SHEER HELL OF IT!
I haven't been getting high off those pills for about a year because I cut the dose down for the past year, so essentially I was just keeping withdrawal at bay (though withdrawal seems to come at odd times if you ask me). That is one thing that helps a little. I can't really remember the last time I got high from the pills and so I don't miss that too much. I notice that I thought I was getting arthritis really bad because every morning I was so stiff and now I notice this is gone after just a few days. Could be the motrin, but somehow I think it's more than that. My body feels younger.
Anyway, just wanted to share. These posts are great to read and I've been reading them all week and I learned a lot about addiction and its power.
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ur dose sounds about like mine..i was a 100 mg hydro user...for 4 yrs...80 mgs i was ok...shoot if i woulda had enuf pills i woulda been a 120 mg a day user! but after a while..even 120 mgs/if i had that many pills..didnt get me anywhere anymore..I remember one saturday..i was home alone and kept taking pills trying to feel better...and i couldnt get there...the thrill was gone and deprewssion had set in...no euphoria anymore...hard to even feel happy anymore...i was going broke..ashamed of myself and my habit..associating with people i would never be asssociating with to get pills..it was a downhill spiral...but i got off the merry go round and started living again
How do u want to do this? quitting I mean? u can try a taper..many addicts have a hard time with tapering..i did..i finally flushed and went CT...or u could CT...have u thought about picking a QUIT day?
Being prepared is important..i wasnt..i had no idea about the fatigue and mental part that followed...i did meetings daily until i felt stronger and still go weekly..more when i feel the need or feel weak
keep posting...it is good that u r ready to do this...chasing pills just is no way to live a life..for me it just want any fun anymore..when u get sick and tired of those jokers,,,u will let go and move forward
"Kept taking pills TRYING to feel better..and I couldn't GET THERE... THE Thrill was GONE and the depression had SET IN.. No euphoria anymore.. hard to even feel happy anymore"
That was ONE of the determining factors in me WANTING to get clean...THE THRILL is GONE! (no matter HOW many pills you take)..
The other determining factor for me WANTING to get clean was my FAMILY... and the support that they offered... and the love. (group HUG)...
Plus.. I just WANTED to be HAPPY again! without using pills to get there... False sense of Happiness..I hated that feeling!
I was reading these posts maybe a few months ago and I remember that the majority of them advised going CT as opposed to weaning, and I told myself, no I was going to have the power to wean. I didn't. And let me tell you, as long as you don't have to go to work, CT is the LESS painful way to go! I understand better now. You just have to jump off that cliff.
I can't tell you how much anxiety I had on the last day I was taking pills, talking to myself about how I COULD do this.
I don't have ANY support. My boyfriend doesn't know about these pills (though I used to have pill bottles all over the house, and always one in my purse). We've been together for 4 years. I guess that I don't want to tell him because I told 2 people before in my life that I had a problem. One was my sister, and she has used it against me in horrible ways and betrayed my trust (she's been on methadone for 10 years, and was on heroin for many years). I thought she would understand but she just used the information against me.
The other person I told was my ex-boyfriend (after I had been on the pills maybe 6 months). And he was understanding and supportive when I told him but when we broke up, he threatened to call all my friends and tell them what i was taking.
So since then I have had trouble trusting this issue with anyone. I guess my mother knows (my sister told her), but she's just not that kind of mom, one that understands and that can be leaned on. It's tough doing this all alone, which is why I found this forum.